The little girls were whirling and twirling, clapping, jumping and yelling — all in the hopes that they might someday be a “big Bearcat cheerleader.”

About 40-50 girls, from pre-school age through fifth grade, took part in a cheerleading camp taught by Bainbridge High School cheerleaders. The camp was held for three hours on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings at the Decatur County Memorial Coliseum.

At the camp, the younger girls — who were split up into different age groups — learned cheers, jumps, dances, basic stunts and basic gymnastic tumbling, said BHS Cheerleading Coach Lea Hawkins.

The camp concluded with all of the girls holding a 30-minute pep rally for parents, other relatives and friends. BHS Cheerleading Team Captain Maddie McIntosh and Co-Captain Jalyn Harrison led the pep rally, which included a variety of cheers designed to be easy to learn and memorize for the younger girls.

“Rock and roll, Bearcats got soul!” went one of the cheers.

The Bearcats’ mascots, Buddy Bearcat and Bella Bearcat, also joined in the pep rally, and some of the older campers got to show off their tumbling and gymnastics skills on mats that had been laid out on the gym floor.

Varsity cheerleaders for the 2012-2013 school year are Maddie McIntosh, captain, Jalyn Harrison, co-captain, Hannah Bius, Kay Bush, Katie Faythe Roland, Holly Long, Erin Kirkus, Larsyn Duke, Sarah Margaret Enfinger, Abbie Jones, Takahri Murphy, Stephanie Mayfield, Haley Chandler and Anna Lee Wiggins.

Junior varsity cheerleaders are Taylor Bush, Sage Long, Linda Moore, Emily Perkins, Katelynn Powell, Christy Pinson, Macey Roland, Megan Smith, Santerica Thomas and Haylie Wilkinson.